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Breaking News in Tech, Search, Social, & BusinessTue, 31 Mar 2015 20:05:26 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.1Etsy Bans ‘Redskins’ Items From Its Marketplacehttp://www.webpronews.com/etsy-bans-redskins-items-from-its-marketplace-2014-09
http://www.webpronews.com/etsy-bans-redskins-items-from-its-marketplace-2014-09#commentsWed, 10 Sep 2014 17:43:25 +0000http://www.webpronews.com/?p=388505Even if you don’t follow football, it’s unlikely that you’ve not heard about the controversy surrounding the Washington Redskins and its name and mascot. It’s been controversial for years, but the argument has picked up major steam in recent months.

E-commerce marketplace Etsy just announced that it is no longer permitting sellers to list items with the name Redskins – a move that will no doubt stir up its own share of controversy.

The company points to two major catalysts that led to its decision. The first is this ad from the National Congress of American Indians:

“Native Americans call themselves many things,” it says. “The one thing they don’t…” Then it concludes with the image of a Washington Redskins football helmet and a football. It also includes the web address ChangeTheMascot.org.

The ad has been around since January, and is described on YouTube as the “#BigGame commercial the NFL would never air.” It has over three million views. Here’s what the campaigns Twitter account has been saying:

The campaign ran a radio ad in the Houston area as the Redskins went to town to play the Texans in week one.

The Change the Washington Mascot Campaign labels itself a “civil rights and human rights effort,” and notes that, “Native American leaders and organizations, sports icons, school boards, city councils, state legislators, media organizations, civil rights groups, religious leaders, Members of Congress and the President of the United States have all said it is time for the Washington team to stop using a dictionary defined racial slur as its name.”

Google’s dictionary feature labels it “dated offensive,” and shows an interesting graph showing its frequency of use over time, with it peaking in the late 1800s.

The campaign shares a “fact sheet,” which includes points like: The U.S. Government Labels the R-Word A Racial Slur; The United Nations Says the Name is a Hurtful Reminder of Mistreatment; Social science research says the term has severe consequences; among others.

The second item Etsy points to is a decision by the US Patent and Trademark Office to cancel the team’s trademarks.

“Following this decision, an increasing number of public figures, politicians, schools, news publications, and private companies have spoken out in protest of the name and mascot,” says Bonnie Broeren, who manages Etsy’s policy team. “Like the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, we at Etsy find the opinion of the minority group itself to carry most weight in determining whether the mascot is disparaging. In no uncertain terms, Native American groups have consistently advocated and litigated that the term ‘redskin(s)’ is disparaging and damaging to Native Americans. Therefore, it will no longer be permitted in our marketplace.”

“We understand that fans wish to support their favorite football team, and we do not believe that fans who are attached to the mascot have any racist feeling or intent,” she adds. “We also understand that some fans view the name and mascot as an homage to Native Americans, and we do not doubt their noble intent, but the fact remains that Native Americans themselves find the term unacceptable.”

Etsy will continue to permit users to sell items that use the team’s colors and location, but not with the name or logo. The policy goes into effect immediately.

The company is contacting sellers who are affected by the policy change, and there’s a Help Center article with additional info here.

“Today we seek to balance two principles that are critically important to us: freedom of speech and protection from discrimination. Freedom of speech and expression is important to us because we are a community of artists, artisans, and curators of all backgrounds, aesthetics, and viewpoints. If you search our site, you will see a wide variety of items testifying to our diversity and our seemingly limitless creativity,” says Broeren. “This freedom, however, is not without limits. In the past, we have taken actions to protect our community and to preserve our integrity as both a creative and an ethical space. We want Etsy to be safe, welcoming, and respectful for everyone, including artists, women, and minorities. For this reason, it has long been against our policies to allow content on our site that demeans people based upon race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation.”

In the past, Etsy has apologized for enabling sellers to list t-shirts promoting rape and updated its policy on prohibited animal products to include restrictions for fur, pelts, ivory, teeth, bones, and taxidermy.

Etsy is already taking some flack for continuing to offer various items.

The Washington Post is pointing to a poll from ESPN’s Outside The Lines finding that 71% of Americans surveyed think the Redskins should keep their name, though as ESPN notes, those who think it should be changed rose nine percentage points within the last year. ESPN’s NFL Nation also polled 286 NFL players, and found that 58% say the name should not be changed, while 42% say it should.

“The polling conducted for “Outside the Lines” showed no difference in attitude between men and women, or whites and non-whites,” Bob Ley wrote on ESPN’s website.

It will be interesting to see if any of Etsy’s rivals follow its policy approach or take advantage of gaining new sellers who leave the service.

As of the time of this writing, there are still a number of items listed on Etsy, which use the name and/or logo.

Presumably stuff like this would still be acceptable under Etsy’s new policy:

]]>http://www.webpronews.com/etsy-bans-redskins-items-from-its-marketplace-2014-09/feed0Redskins Name: Harry Reid Wants NFL to Follow in NBA’s Footsteps, Ban Racist Namehttp://www.webpronews.com/redskins-name-harry-reid-wants-nfl-to-follow-in-nbas-footsteps-and-ban-racist-name-2014-04
http://www.webpronews.com/redskins-name-harry-reid-wants-nfl-to-follow-in-nbas-footsteps-and-ban-racist-name-2014-04#commentsThu, 01 May 2014 00:03:09 +0000http://www.webpronews.com/?p=354629Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is making headlines for talking about racism again, but this time it has nothing to do with Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy. Instead, Reid says that the NFL should follow in the NBA’s footsteps and ban racism–this would include the Washington Redskins name, which Reid has long deemed racist.

After audio of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s racist rant made waves, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced a lifetime ban for Sterling. In addition to the ban, Sterling also faces a $2.5 million fine and will be forced to sell his team.

While some people have questioned whether Silver should be allowed to ban Sterling and force him to sell his team for comments he made in private, others are applauding Silver’s move because they believe it shows that no racism will be tolerated in the NBA. Senator Reid discussed his support for Silver’s decision and said that the NFL should do the same, particularly where the Washington Redskins name is concerned.

“Commissioner Silver and the NBA leadership have set the standard for how professional sports organization should act in the face of racism,” Reid said. “How long will the NFL continue to do nothing, zero, as one of its teams bears the name that inflicts so much pain for Native Americans.”

“It is untoward of Daniel Snyder to try to hide behind tradition,” Reid continued. “Tradition? That’s what he says in refusing to change the name of the team. Tradition? What tradition? A tradition of racism is all that name leaves in its wake…Since Snyder fails to show any leadership, the National Football League should take an assist from the NBA and pick up the slack. It would be a slam dunk.”

Reid is hardly the first politician to say that the Redskins name should be changed. In fact, it was just last October that President Barack Obama encouraged Redskins owner Dan Snyder to change the team name to something less racially offensive. Snyder hasn’t responded to Reid’s claim that the Redskins name is racist, but Snyder said last October that he had no intentions of changing the name.

Do you think that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should ban the Washington Redskins name, or do you think that there is no comparison between Sterling’s comments and the Redskins name?

]]>http://www.webpronews.com/redskins-name-harry-reid-wants-nfl-to-follow-in-nbas-footsteps-and-ban-racist-name-2014-04/feed0DeSean Jackson Signs Deal With Washington Redskinshttp://www.webpronews.com/desean-jackson-signs-deal-with-washington-redskins-2014-04
http://www.webpronews.com/desean-jackson-signs-deal-with-washington-redskins-2014-04#commentsWed, 02 Apr 2014 14:11:42 +0000http://www.webpronews.com/?p=342007Just four days after his shocking release from the Philadelphia Eagles, DeSean Jackson signed a three-year deal with the Washington Redskins, the Eagles’ rival.

Jackson is a three-time Pro Bowler and has averaged 17.2 yards per reception during career in six seasons. The veteran was released from the Eagles after reports surfaced that he was affiliated with a gang.

“He’s the right kind of guy we need in our locker room,” Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall told USA Today Sports. “Fierce competitor and player, but great guy and humble guy that wants nothing more then to show people the real him. And there’s no better place then in the nation’s Capitol.”

Jackson met with the Redskins on Monday and had dinner with the general manager Bruce Allen. The news was officially revealed late Tuesday night when Jackson’s publicist posted a tweet that read: “Congrats to our client @DeseanJackson10 who is now officially a @Redskins.” Soon after, FOX Sports NFL Insider Mike Garafolo posted a similar tweet saying, “Three-year deal for DeSean Jackson with the Redskins. And it’s apparently a whopper. We’ll see what the numbers wind up being.” Finally, Jackson himself confirmed the news, also on Twitter, with an exciting tweet that read: “ITS GOIN DOWN !! BURGUNDY & GOLD!”

According to Fox Sports, Jackson signed a three-year deal worth $24 million, with $16 million guaranteed.

]]>http://www.webpronews.com/desean-jackson-signs-deal-with-washington-redskins-2014-04/feed0Redskins Name: Most People Still Support The Controversial Name And Want It To Stayhttp://www.webpronews.com/redskins-name-most-people-still-support-the-controversial-name-and-want-it-to-stay-2014-02
http://www.webpronews.com/redskins-name-most-people-still-support-the-controversial-name-and-want-it-to-stay-2014-02#commentsSat, 01 Feb 2014 05:29:34 +0000http://www.webpronews.com/?p=314777Despite the controversy that has surrounded the name of the Washington Redskins throughout the history of the franchise, it has been stated the most people would support keeping the name the way that it is.

The name has received plenty of criticism over the years, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell continues to insist that the name honors Native Americans, and even said that nine out of 10 Native Americans support the name.

The Redskins name has been in place for many years, and some people simply feel that if it has lasted this long, there is no harm in keeping the name around.

The name has continued to draw criticism, and made big headlines during the 2013 NFL season when the name Washington Bravehearts started trending in the news, although it was simply a hoax, and the team did not end up changing their name.

Roger Goodell made a statement recently regarding the Redskins name, and said “The Washington Redskins name has … from its origin represented a positive meaning distinct from any disparagement that could be viewed in some other context. For the team’s million of fans and customers, who represent one of America’s most ethnically and geographically diverse fan bases, the name is a unifying force that stands for strength, courage, pride and respect.”

In addition to the controversy that has surrounded the team’s name over the years, the team completely fell apart over the past season, and Mike Shanahan was fired as a result, with his son Kyle Shanahan, who serves as an assistant coach, may be leaving the coaching staff too.

The team lost their franchise quarterback to injury during last year’s playoffs, and he struggled to perform over the 2013 season, which was a large factor to why they only won a few games all season.

Whether or not a change to the Redskins name would be able to help the franchise in any way, or the morale of the fans is uncertain, but they certainly need something to boost the team after such a disappointing season in 2013.

]]>http://www.webpronews.com/redskins-name-most-people-still-support-the-controversial-name-and-want-it-to-stay-2014-02/feed4Robert Griffin III Benched For The Season: How Come?http://www.webpronews.com/robert-griffin-iii-benched-for-the-season-how-come-2013-12
http://www.webpronews.com/robert-griffin-iii-benched-for-the-season-how-come-2013-12#commentsSat, 14 Dec 2013 01:25:00 +0000http://www.webpronews.com/?p=292751]]>With a bad knee injury, poor personal play and having a dismal 3 and 10 record, it’s been a tough season for Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III. And just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse for the Heisman Trophy winner, head coach Mike Shanahan just benched him for the remainder of the season and will play back-up QB Kirk Cousins instead.

Benching a franchise quarterback to avoid further injury usually wouldn’t be all that strange, but since there’s been rumors of a power struggle between coach Shanahan and Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, some believe Shanahan is benching Griffin to assert his power within the organization and to let Snyder know who’s really calling the shots on the field.

Both sports experts and fans alike have accused Snyder of giving Griffin too much say on whether he plays or not, since the two have an incredibly close relationship. But according to Shanahan the only reason he benched Griffin is because he wants him healthy during the off-season, unlike last year.

The controversy started to brew on Dec.11, when a usually reserved Shanahan spoke passionately about why he benched Griffin, and based on the over-explanation he gave, along with the rumors that have been circulating, many are accusing the coach of not being 100% honest. But Shanahan firmly states the only reason Griffin has been placed on third string–behind Cousins and second reserve quarterback Rex Grossman–has everything to do with keeping him healthy and nothing else.

“I’m sure everybody knows by now that coach decided to shut me down for the rest of the season,” explained Griffin in the press conference. “I expressed my desire to play [but] at the end of the day, coach’s decision is what we go with. That’s the way it’s always been. It’s my job to help Kirk win.”

In recent months Griffin has been taking a beating in the press for seeming to shrug off responsibility for the team’s bad record and his poor personal performance, but he seemed to be sincere during the latest press conference when he spoke about supporting Cousins, which many believe is a good change.

Some might say what Griffin is going through is part of the usual growing process that many quarterbacks face, similar to what Carolina Panther’s Cam Newton experienced. Newton also had a tough second year but is now performing pretty well, but for Griffin, his growing process will include completing passes in the pocket instead of relying solely on his running speed. Plus, he’ll have to get better at taking all of the responsibility for a loss and giving the credit to his teammates when the Redskins win, which is really the right thing to do as a quarterback.

But will the battle between Shanahan and Snyder be resolved before next season, or will Shanahan be let go so the team can start fresh? Some believe that Shanahan is benching Griffin in defiance and really wants to get himself fired, but time will tell. It’ll sure be an interesting off-season next year, that’s one thing for sure.

]]>http://www.webpronews.com/david-chang-lets-raise-6b-on-kickstarter-and-buy-the-redskins-2013-12/feed2Redskins: Obama Thinks Team Should Change Its Namehttp://www.webpronews.com/redskins-obama-thinks-team-should-change-its-name-2013-11
http://www.webpronews.com/redskins-obama-thinks-team-should-change-its-name-2013-11#commentsThu, 14 Nov 2013 02:51:47 +0000http://www.webpronews.com/?p=281428President Obama’s comments against the Washington Redskins received much approval from Native American leaders led by Ray Halbritter of the Oneida Nation. The tribe leaders used the meeting at White House on Tuesday to express their gratitude for Obama’s stand against the team’s controversial name.

Obama’s meeting with the tribal leaders was closed to reporters. The developments in the meeting were recounted by a tribal representative who asked to remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak on behalf of the leaders. The issues discussed included economic development issues affecting Native Americans, capital jurisdictional challenges, job creations and of course the issue of the “Redskins” name was brought up too.

In October Obama had an interview with The Associated Press, in which he had said that if he was the owner of the Redskins he would consider changing the name because the name is offensive to some people. “I don’t know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real legitimate concerns that people have about these things,” Obama said. The President’s remarks sparked increased public debate with many Native American groups and the greater public.

Daniel Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskin team had earlier said that he would not consider changing the name.

“We will never change the name of the team,” Snyder had told USA TODAY Sports. “As a lifelong Redskins fan, I think that the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it’s all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season”.

Meanwhile, the Redskins attorney, Lanny Davis rebutted Obama’s comments with a statement highlighting opinion polls in which the majority of respondents said they were not bothered by the team’s name and did not think it should be changed.

Here Are Some Opinions

The Ed Show

ESPN

Kat Williams

]]>http://www.webpronews.com/redskins-obama-thinks-team-should-change-its-name-2013-11/feed0Brandon Meriweather Says He Wants to End Other Players’ Careershttp://www.webpronews.com/brandon-meriweather-wants-to-end-other-players-careers-2013-10
http://www.webpronews.com/brandon-meriweather-wants-to-end-other-players-careers-2013-10#commentsMon, 28 Oct 2013 22:59:26 +0000http://www.webpronews.com/?p=276246Step aside Ndamukong Suh–there’s another player who is being declared the dirtiest, and it isn’t the Detroit Lions defensive tackle this time. Instead, Washington Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather is being called the dirtiest player around, something he isn’t attempting to hide. Meriweather found himself under fire on Monday after he said he wanted to injure other players to the point that their careers would be over.

“To be honest, you’ve just got to go low now,” Meriweather said. “You gotta end people’s careers. You gotta tear people’s ACLs, mess up people’s knees. You can’t him them high anymore. You’ve just got to go low.” Ironically enough, a torn ACL is what ended Meriweather’s 2012 season.

This is coming from a guy who just served a one-game suspension for dirty hits in the Redskins’ 45-41 loss to the Bears last Sunday. Meriweather received personal foul penalties for helmet-to-helmet hits on Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall. Apparently, tearing ACLs to end a player’s career isn’t savage enough for Meriweather. Check out his hit on Jeffery below.

(image)

“Guys like that really don’t understand that there is life after football,” Marshall said of Meriweather’s helmet-to-helmet strikes. “I respect the league trying to better our game, and guys like that, maybe he needs to get suspended or taken out of the game completely.”

In case you think Marshall is being too harsh, don’t think for a second that this is the first time Meriweather has had such hits. Just last month, he was fined $42,000 by the NFL for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Packers running back Eddie Lacy. See the hit below.

(image)

Now that Meriweather has made it crystal clear what he thinks his job on the field is–to end careers–it will be interesting to see if the NFL responds, or at least keeps him on a tight leash. Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan tried to play down Meriweather’s comments earlier, but did point out that his NFL career would be over if he didn’t change things.

“Well, I’m not sure if I would have used those choice of words. I think I would have used different words, obviously,” Shanahan said. “Now those safeties have to go lower and it’s just part of the game. Nobody’s going to try to hurt anybody, but if you’re going to err on the side of caution, you would rather go low than you would high. Brandon knows that he’s got to go lower or he’s not going to be playing in the National Football League.”

“Err on the side of caution,” coach? It doesn’t sound like that’s remotely what Meriweather is doing. Do you think Brandon Meriweather should be kicked out of the NFL? Respond below. Quite a few Twitter users are outraged with his comments.

]]>http://www.webpronews.com/brandon-meriweather-wants-to-end-other-players-careers-2013-10/feed3Washington Bravehearts: A New Redskins Team?http://www.webpronews.com/washington-bravehearts-a-new-redskins-team-2013-10
http://www.webpronews.com/washington-bravehearts-a-new-redskins-team-2013-10#commentsMon, 28 Oct 2013 00:46:15 +0000http://www.webpronews.com/?p=275896While there has been much criticism and controversy over the name of the Washington Redskins team name, many people have wanted the name to be changed. The name change, of course, is up to Dan Snyder, the owner of the team. At least for now, the name of the bravehearts is not going to be their new name, and while it has created much buzz around Washington recently, it is simply a hoax.

The official reports are that Aris Mardirossian, a neighbor of Snyder’s has registered the name, Washington Bravehearts, for “entertainment in the nature of football games.” Despite being Snyder’s neighbor, it seems that the name is simply a coincidence, and the Redskins will not be changing their name, although some fans might want them to.

The record seems to have been set straight after a spokesman for the Redskins, Tony Wyllie, mentioned on Friday, “I just want to set the record straight for everyone listening, just to let you know that there is absolutely NO connection between the Washington Bravehearts and the person that registered that trademark, and the Washington Redskins.

Wyllie continued to say that Snyder does not even know this man, and that there is absolutely no connection between the Washington Bravehearts and the Washington Redskins. He urges fans not to worry when stating, “So I just want to let you know, Dan (doesn’t) know the man, so please, people, stop panicking, there’s no connection.” Were people panicking? It seems as if most people would be happy about the name change.

The Washington Bravehearts, while a good attempt at changing the name as some would believe, unfortunately will not be happening anytime soon. There is certainly plenty of support behind changing the name, with the United States congress even urging the team’s owner to change the name earlier this year. 10 members of Congress sent an open letter to Dan Snyder in May of this year.

As if Congress was not enough, President Obama also said that if he were the Redskins owner, he would think about changing the name.

Although Snyder has said that the team’s name will never change, plenty of people are rallying behind a change, including the Oneida tribe, who traveled to Washington to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Gooddell.

Do you think the owner of the Redskins should change the name? What would a better name be?Discuss here.

The Washington Bravehearts will definitely not be the new name of the NFL team, but is there a possible changes sometime in the future? Only time will tell.

]]>http://www.webpronews.com/washington-bravehearts-a-new-redskins-team-2013-10/feed5Redskins Name Change: Owner Writes a Letter to Fanshttp://www.webpronews.com/redskins-name-change-owner-writes-a-letter-to-fans-2013-10
http://www.webpronews.com/redskins-name-change-owner-writes-a-letter-to-fans-2013-10#commentsThu, 10 Oct 2013 01:26:00 +0000http://www.webpronews.com/?p=270346Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder has previously said that he wouldn’t change the name of his team, a stance he upheld in a letter he sent out today. The Redskins owner has been under pressure from numerous groups and individuals, including President Barack Obama, to change the name of the Washington, D.C. team to something less racially offensive.

The push to change the Redskins name comes from the Oneida Indian Nation. Tribe members plan to meet with NFL officials next month on getting the name changed. This news prompted Snyder to send a letter to the fans, and he is adamant that the name won’t be changed.

“I’ve listened carefully to the commentary and perspectives on all sides, and I respect the feelings of those who are offended by the team name,” Snyder said in the lengthy letter. “But I hope such individuals also try to respect what the name means, not only for all of us in the extended Washington Redskins family, but among Native Americans too.”

Snyder also said that the vast majority of people who responded to an April poll about the issue don’t think the Redskins name should be changed. “In an April 2013 Associated Press survey, 79% of the respondents stated the Washington Redskins should not change their name, while only 11% believed the team’s name should change,” Snyder wrote.

President Obama weighed in on the Redskins name over the weekend and said he would ditch the name. “If I were the owner of the team and I knew that there was a name of my team–even if it had a storied history–that was offending a sizable group of people, I’d think about changing it,” Obama said.

Not all Native Americans are bothered by the Redskins name, including Robert Green, retired Chief of the Fredericksburg area Patawomeck Tribe. “Frankly, the members of my tribe–the vast majority–don’t find it offensive,” Green said. The chief also said that as a long-time Redskins fan, he’d be offended if the name was changed.

More information about progress in the push to change the Redskins name can be found on the Change the Mascot website. The website tracks teams with “racially insensitive” names or mascots from the high school level to the professional level. One success mentioned is when the Peoria Chiefs, a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, changed its logo from an American Indian to a Dalmatian fire chief back in 2003.